dotNews - May 2016

Welcome to dotNews - our monthly newsletter - giving you a brief update of what's happening in the world of New Zealand's Internet.

This dotNews includes information about:

the recently signed MoU with MBIE about the management of .nz

two public consultations running about .nz registrant information and reserved names

the announcement of funding for CERT NZ

dates and topics for our speaker series

an overview of our activity plan for this year

the Australia and NZ Internet Awards.

MoU with MBIE on the management of .nz

Earlier this month, we signed an MoU with the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment on the management of the .nz country code top level domain. The MoU clarifies our respective roles in the management of .nz. It also sets clear rules regarding how InternetNZ manages the .nz domain name space on behalf of the Internet community, explaining how any issues or problems that do arise would be resolved.

The MoU gives the public confidence that the management of .nz will always be expected to serve the best interests of all Internet users in New Zealand. Here's a link to our media release and the MoU:

Proposed changes to WHOIS and registering reserved .nz names

The Domain Name Commission currently has two proposals out for public consultation.

The WHOIS consultation outlines a proposed change that could see individuals able to apply to have their personal details withheld from the .nz WHOIS. DNCL is interested in hearing what people think of the proposal. Submissions close 7 June 2016 and can be made to policies@dnc.org.nz.

Some of the questions submitters might want to consider when making a submission are: would the .nz policies be improved by having an ability for some individuals to apply to withhold personal information? Does the proposed application approach balance the public good in keeping the .nz register secure with the privacy interests of individual registrants? If it doesn't, what could that balance look like? Information about the proposed change (including a set of FAQs) can be found here:

The reserved names consultation is proposing to clarify the date that .nz reserved names need to be registered before the reservation will lapse. Namely, that all reserved names that have not been registered by 30 March 2017, will be released and become available to any registrant on a first come, first served basis. For more information about this consultation - and details on how to make a submission - see the DNCL website here:

NZ CERT finally has Govt backing

On 5 May, the Government announced that they are providing $20 million over four years to fund the building of a Computer Emergency Response Team function for New Zealand - CERTNZ. The Government say this CERT will receive cyber incident reports, track cyber security incidents or attacks, and provide advice and alerts to its customers on how to respond and prevent further attacks.

We've been advocating for a CERT since 2005 and are delighted to finally see action and financial backing on building a CERT for New Zealand. Read our media release with some thoughts about what we like, and what more we'd like to see, to ensure that New Zealand gets the CERT it needs:

Speaker series

This year we're holding a speaker series from our Wellington office. We'll be hosting expert discussion on three exciting and thought-provoking topics throughout the year. Each event will feature high-profile speakers and give attendees a chance to participate in discussions. We have chosen three hot topics that are getting more and more interest as technology evolves.

Death and the Internet - 9 June - featuring Narelle Clark, Director of Operations at the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network. RSVPs now open

Harassment and the Internet - 8 September - featuring Niels ten Oever, Head of Digital at Article 19

Things and the Internet - 8 December - featuring Dr Erika Pearson, Senior Lecturer at the School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Massey Business School Wellington

Keep an eye out for an invitation to these events.

InternetNZ priorities for 2016/17

We spent the start of this financial year finalising our activity plan and key priorities for the year ahead. This includes the ongoing work we're doing in the community, grants rounds and policy work within our issues and international programmes. The point of difference this year is the addition of three new focus areas - access to the Internet; use of the Internet for everyone's benefit; and Identity, privacy and security in the digital age. Each of these focus areas has two key projects that have been designed so we can make the most impact in these areas.

Here's a one-page infographic outlining our focus areas and the work we continue to do on behalf of New Zealand's Internet users:

Australia and New Zealand Internet Awards

Together with auDA, we host the ANZIA Awards each year - which recognise excellence online. If you, or someone you know, has come up with an online initiative that makes the world a better place, then you should enter. There are six categories and $2,500 AUD to be won for each.

Hear more from InternetNZ

Become a member of InternetNZFor only $21 per year you can become a member of InternetNZ. You will get regular updates on what's happening in the Internet community, invitations to Internet based events and have the chance to help shape the work we do at InternetNZ. To find out more, click here:Why join InternetNZ